The Afterglow Fades
(September 22nd 1080, Saeros’ 27th birthday and Sven’s coronation.) There was a loud knock on the door. Saeros wasn't expecting visitors. She had just put her newborn and two-year-old down for a nap, and was watching over her young niece and nephew. Opening the door slowly, the young woman was shocked to see her eldest sister, Eydis standing on the porch. "It's certainly been a while, huh, Ros?" Eydis chuckled, throwing her head back with a grin and a hand on her hip. Eydis was the most rebellious and irresponsible sibling out of them all, and was rarely around anymore. The last time she visited... was 3 years ago. "What's the occasion this time?" Saeros asked coldly. "Pregnant again?" "Hardly," Eydis shot back. "I got word that Sven's coronation was this month. Figured I'd swing by and cheer you up." Saeros shot her sister a nasty look. "You're only visiting for me... and not your children?" "I came for them too!" Eydis laughed. "Got ‘em some little gifts even!" She held up a bulky sack, filled with unknown goodies. "So, are you gonna let me in or what?" Saeros stared at her sister hard, silently regretting her next decision. "Fine. But be quiet. I've just put my two kids down for a nap." "Ah that's right! You've got your own brats now too!" Eydis beamed excitedly. "You gotta show ‘em to me later!" As they entered the house, Eydis' two children, Ormarr, 8, and Cordelia, 7, sat in the living room, quietly reading and drawing. Eydis's smile faded as she laid eyes on her children. It had been 3 years since she last saw them, and they had grown up so much since then... Would they even remember her? "Hey kids, Aunt Eydis is here!" Saeros said as both women entered the room. When Eydis had her kids, she left her mother Seasick to raise them, and the family decided that they would be raised as if they were Seasick's children. The kids were too young to know the truth yet. "Oh... hi Aunt Eydis..." Ormarr said quietly, barely glancing up from his book. Cordelia simply stared up at the woman, not recognizing her at all. "Whatcha readin' there, sweetie?" Eydis said awkwardly, attempting to bond with her kids. "It's an old book about dragons." Ormarr said simply. "It's quite unremarkable. And factually incorrect." "Oh wow!" Eydis replied, clearly taken aback by her son's intelligence. "So, you're interested in dragons, huh?" "How are you surprised?" Saeros called from the kitchen. "It's in all of our blood." "I... Yeah, you're right..." Eydis laughed. "Well, if you're interested, sweetie, I can tell you a lot about dragons! I track ‘em and study them!" "Mother did that in her youth too," Ormarr replied. "She's told me quite a lot about her adventures." Eydis was stunned. Even though she was the one who decided to be seen as their aunt, hearing her own son refer to his grandmother as his own mother really hurt her. Now that they were getting older, it was becoming increasingly hard on Eydis. After a long silence, Eydis quickly regained her composure. "Oh yeah, how's little Skari doin'?" she asked Saeros. "He's having a rough time again." She replied sadly as she sat down next to Ormarr. "He's in his room, if you'd like to go see him. He may be sleeping though." Without another word, Eydis found herself walking down the long familiar hallways and into the back room, where she found her sickly baby brother... who wasn't such a baby anymore. Now 18, Skari had become a man, a sickly thin man. Lying on his back with his eyes closed, Eydis could see that he was feverish and pale as usual. With a light knock, Eydis announced her arrival. "E-Eydis..." Skari said weakly, smiling at her. "You've come home!" "Indeed, I have!" Eydis smiled down at him, pulling up a chair beside his bed. "You don't look so good." "I'm afraid I am ill once again." He said sadly. "But when ever am I not?" Eydis let out a small laugh, and lightly brushed Skari’s damp hair. "It's been a while since I've seen you! You've grown quite a bit!" "Taller and thinner... and sicker..." he answered weakly. "You've also grown a bit. You didn't have that scar under your eye the last I saw you." "Oh yeah!" Eydis laughed, rubbing the scar on her cheek. "That's quite a story. Wanna hear it?" "You know I do." Skari said, sitting up slightly. "Please, tell me everything. Don't leave anything out." --- In the evening, after putting her kids and Ormarr and Cordelia to bed, Saeros cleaned up the kitchen and noticed that Eydis was no where to be found. With a long sigh, Saeros was about to collapse down into the couch when instead she opened the front door. There on the front step sat Eydis, smoking a blunt. "That's a bad habit, you know." Saeros said, closing the door behind her. "When did you pick that up?" "Ahh, don't remember... probably shortly after I was home last?" Eydis replied nonchalantly. Saeros sat down beside her eldest sister and leaned against the porch pole. "You're never going to change." "No point now," Eydis answered. "But I'll admit, today was hard. Seeing the kids so big." "You could stay." "No I can't" "Why not?" Saeros sat upright and stared hard at her sister's face in the dimming light. "Why can't you stay? Nothing is holding you back. You aren't tied down to anything. Why don't you stay and raise your kids?" Eydis took a long drag and looked away. "There's been too much time away. I don't... I don't know how to be a mother." "It's never too late to learn." Saeros argued. "'Sides, Ma seems to be doing a fine job as it is. As long as the kids are cared for, I'm happy". "But she's raised 10 kids already. It's not fair to her that she has to raise your kids too." Saeros said. "And she's got more grandkids now too" "Oh yea? Who else had kids besides you and Hafdis?" Eydis asked in surprise "Eyrun." Saeros replied simply. "Oh, right, I guess you missed all that drama..." "Drama... Wait, don’t tell me..." "Yup. 18. Out of wedlock. Remind you of anyone?" Saeros said glaring at Eydis. "Hey, I was 21 when I miscarried ok? " Eydis snapped. "Damn, has she been trouble like me too?" "No, in fact, she married the guy responsible, and they're doing quite well," her sister explained, leaning back against the pole. "Unlike some people she learned her lesson and smartened up." "Ha-ha good one Ros." Eydis rolled her eyes.Taking another drag, Eydis sighed. "Happy birthday, by the way." "Oh, was that today?" Saeros muttered. "Gotta wonder if Sven did that on purpose, holding his coronation on your birthday." Eydis wondered, scratching the back of her head. "Too bad we can't go an ask him." Eydis’ eyes flashed with excitement and turned towards her sister. "Sure we can! Let’s go crash his shitty little party!" "Ha, ya right. I'm banned from Haligan Island, remember?" Saeros rolled her eyes. Eydis let out a laugh. "Right, you're a full-fledged criminal. Jeez, it's not like you were gonna kill him." Saeros was silent as she stared off into the evening. "Right...?" Eydis asked, suddenly reeling back from her sister. "Gods Saeros, what the fuck?" Saeros let out a small laugh and took the blunt from Eydis. Taking a drag herself, she sighed. "No, I didn't intent to kill him. " Eydis let out a sarcastic sigh of relief. Standing up, she yawned and stretched her arms. The sun was fully set now, and only a small bit of light was on the horizon. A cool breeze came across the island. "Well, I'm off now" Eydis said, walking down the steps. "You're leaving?" "What? No, I'm just going to the bar. I don't suppose there's booze in the house?" Saeros chuckled at the question. "No, never has been, never will be. Please Ey, just stay home tonight. Just this once." "I'll be back in the morning, or maybe even a few hours." Eydis said, looking into the night. "I'll be around for another day or two, before everyone returns." "So, you're not even going to stay and say hi?" Saeros asked, giving Eydis a sad look. Eydis looked down at her feet, and then back up at her sister. "I... I can't. Ma is still mad at me, and Pa... well he might as well not exist." "They still love you Eydis. Mother isn't even that mad anymore." Saeros said, "If anything she's just disappointed. But if you just tal--" "Not yet. I'm not ready. Just gimme me some time, okay?" Eydis said as she turned and began to walk down the path towards the village. Saeros signed and put out her blunt. Getting up from the steps, she watched as her eldest sister disappeared into the darkness of the night. "You know where home is" Saeros called out. She wasn't sure if her words reached Eydis. Category:Events Category:Extended Universe Category:EU Category:Eydís Sædíssdóttir Category:Saeros